Thursday, February 28, 2013

Five new clips for the fact-based Cold War-era submarine thriller "Phantom" have been released online. The film looks more like a direct-to-DVD affair, but probably due to its solid cast (Ed Harris, David Duchovny, William Fichtner, Sean Patrick Flanery, Lance Henriksen) it has managed to obtain a theatrical release. Don't go in expecting the next "Das Boot" or "Crimson Tide" and you might have some fun with it. "Phantom" opens March 1st.

The upcoming dark comedy "Spring Breakers" is on its way to becoming a cult-film. It's clear that the filmmakers are very aware of this fact and continue to aggresively hype the film. In the last few days they have released a new international (UK) red-band trailer, 2 behind-the-scenes featurettes and 2 TV spots. The featurettes are particularly interesting as they display a more honest type of behind-the-scenes look by avoiding cast and crew interviews and simply showing us how director Harmony Korine works with his cast and crew, without additional commentary. "Spring Breakers" stars Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco, and will open on March 22, 2013.

First official poster for the all-star comedy "The Big Wedding" starring Robert De Niro, Katherine Heigl, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace, Susan Sarandon and Robin Williams. Opens on April 26th.

And another new poster for the dark future-cult-film comedy "Spring Breakers". The movie stars Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine and James Franco. Opens on March 15th.

A new surprise addition to the cast of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" has been announced. Actor Chris Cooper will star in the sequel as Norman Osborn, previously played by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi's version of Spider-Man. Osborn, in Marc Webb's series will first become mentor to Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) and will later on become the Green Goblin, but it's unclear if the transformation will occur in this film or the next sequel. Dane DeHaan ("Chronicle") will play Harry, Osborne's son and Peter's friend. Other new characters in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" include Electro (Jamie Foxx), Rhino (Paul Giamatti) and Mary Jane (Shailene Woodley). Felicity Jones has also been cast in an unspecified role. The sequel opens on May 2, 2014, in 3D.

It was first announced last year that there would be a remake of the 1990 thriller "Flatliners" directed by Joel Schumacher. For those of you who have had no contact with the film, it told the story of a group of medical students who find a way to explore the afterlife by inducing clinical death only to realize that they've brought something back with them. "Flatliners" starred a young cast of stars, Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and William Baldwin, and benefited from Schumacher's stylish direction and some very atmospheric cinematography.

The latest news announce that the remake may have found a director. Niels Arden Oplev, director of the original "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy, has been attached to direct the film. Sony Pictures has also hired "Source Code" screenwriter Ben Ripley to pen the script.

It's time for another character poster for "Iron Man 3". The new poster once again features Robert Downey Jr. in a beat up armor, but this time he looks ready to rumble. Previous posters featured Robert Downey Jr. falling in a damaged Iron Man suit, Don Cheadle as the Iron Patriot, Guy Pearce as geneticist Aldrich Killian, Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin (the movie's villain) and a sad Gwyneth Paltrow holding Iron Man's damaged helmet. The third installment is directed by Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang") and also stars Rebecca Hall and James Badge Dale. "Iron Man 3" will be released on May 3, 2013, in 3D.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Today Warner Bros. released the first trailer and poster for James Wan's new haunted house horror "The Conjuring", based on a true story from the 1970s. The basic premise is the same as most other paranormal movies out there. A family (Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston) is confronted with strange phenomenons in their home and so they contact a husband and wife team of psychic investigators (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) to help them find out what is going on. Director James Wan is famous for the first "Saw" and his ability to direct ghost stories has been confirmed by his 2011 surprise hit "Insidious". Wan has a very simple, but very effective way of filming these stories and the result is genuinely creepy, as is the case with this trailer. "The Conjuring" opens on July 19, 2013.

The third clip for Park Chan-woo's new film "Stoker" has been released. The new scene shows us some romantic interaction between Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode, great camerawork and a groovy soundtrack. The film also stars Mia Wasikowska, Dermot Mulroney and Jackie Weaver. "Stoker" opens on March 1st.

Six new movie clips and three behind-the-scenes featurettes for "The Last Exorcism Part II" have been released. The sequel, produced by Eli Roth continues the story of Nell Sweetzer (Ashley Bell) as she attempts to rebuild her life. Evil, however, is not done with her, yet. "The Last Exorcism Part II" will be released on March 1st.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Two new official pictures of Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly from the film "Grace of Monaco" have been released. The true story drama follows Hollywood star Grace Kelly between December 1961 and November 1962, when she struggled as Princess of Monaco to save her nation from political turmoil. Monaco's Prince Rainier III will be played by Tim Roth. Also starring are Milo Ventimiglia, Parker Posey, Paz Vega, Derek Jacobi and Frank Langella. The film is directed by Olivier Dahan ("La vie en rose") and will be released in 2014.

The youngest ever Oscar nominee for Best Leading Actress Quvenzhané Wallis ("Beasts of the Southern Wild") is set to star in a remake of "Annie", a 1977 Broadway musical that was previously adapted for the big screen in a 1982 film that earned 2 Oscar nominations (Art Direction and Music) and 5 Razzie noms. The remake is directed by Will Gluck ("Easy A") and produced by Will Smith, James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jay Brown and Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith. Jay-Z will be handling the music, as well as co-producing. Hannah Minghella of Columbia Pictures has declared the following:

"With the recent Academy Award nomination and critical acclaim, Quvenzhané Wallis is a true star and we believe her portrayal as Annie will make her a true worldwide star. She is an extraordinary young talent with an amazing range, not only as an actress but as a singer and dancer, and we can't wait for audiences to further discover her.".

Wallis has replaced Willow Smith, Will Smith's daughter, in the lead role. The movie, set for release during the holiday season in 2014, tells the story of young girl who runs away from an orphanage run by an evil owner and begins a search for her parents. The musical includes the popular songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life". Quvenzhané Wallis will next star in director Steve McQueen's "Twelve Years a Slave", alongside Brad Pitt and Michael Fassbender.

The full trailer for the third season of HBO's "Game of Thrones" is finally here. The series stars Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Sophie Turner, Jack Gleeson, Richard Madden and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Season 3 premieres on March 31st.

Two new clips and four posters have been released for the World War II drama "Emperor" starring Tommy Lee Jones and Matthew Fox. Directed by Peter Webber ("Girl with a Pearl Earring", "Hannibal Rising"), the film stars Jones as General Douglas MacArthur and looks to be an interesting depiction of post-war Japan. However, the mix of romance and political machinations could turn the movie into a dull melodrama. "Emperor" is scheduled for a limited release on March 8, 2013.

The first trailer and posters for the western horror "Gallowwalkers" is now online. The movie stars Wesley Snipes in one of his last roles before going to prison for tax evasion, which is why it was shelved for almost six years before finally getting a release. The actual release date has not been announced, yet. Anyway, the movie looks like a real low point in Snipes' career and will probably end up on VOD/DVD/Blu-Ray.

Monday, February 25, 2013

The newest character poster to be released for "Iron Man 3" features Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts in a very tragic pose which indicates that the third installment will be, in the best tradition of third installments, the darkest and most dramatic. Previous posters featured Robert Downey Jr. in a damaged Iron Man suit, Don Cheadle as the Iron Patriot, Guy Pearce as geneticist Aldrich Killian and Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin (the movie's villain). The third installment is directed by Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang") and also stars Rebecca Hall and James Badge Dale. "Iron Man 3" will be released on May 3, 2013, in 3D.

The full trailer for A&E TV series "Bates Motel" is online and provides an interesting glimpse into the show's concept. Containing a mix of psychological drama and mystery thriller, the series is a prequel to "Psycho" and centers on the relationship between young Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga). The series premieres on March 18.

The new red-band trailer for "Spring Breakers" truly makes the movie feel as dark as everyone says it is. The trailer is drenched in atmosphere and is a bit more focused on James Franco's character and the underworld element that the four party girls descend into. Starring Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine and directed by Harmony Korine, "Spring Breakers" opens on March 22, 2013.

This post contains all the news, trailers, movie clips, DVD/Blu-Ray releases and many more, that you may have missed in the last seven days, arranged in an accessible manner. Just browse and click the article titles you want to read. Read the full article to check out the weekly summary.

The Oscar winners have been announced in what is probably considered one of the weakest shows in the Academy's history. But who really cares that Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane was more miss than hit as the show's host and that his attempts at humor were somewhat tasteless when not downright dull ? The important thing is that the participating movies were some of the most interesting and relevant of not only 2012, but also recent years.

The Academy must have had a very hard time choosing winners, so the awards were pretty much evenly split among each of the major films. "Argo" took home 3 awards for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Editing, but it was "Life of Pi" who scored the most wins with 4 trophies for Best Director (Ang Lee), Cinematography, Original Score and Visual Effects.

"Les Miserables" won 3 Oscars for Best Supporting Actress (Anne Hathaway), Sound Mixing and Makeup. "Django Unchained" earned 2 trophies for Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz) and Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino) and Spielberg's "Lincoln" also took home 2 awards for Best Leading Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Production Design. Among the movies rewarded with just one award: "Silver Linings Playbook" - Best Leading Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), "Amour" - Best Foreign Film, "Zero Dark Thirty" - Best Sound Editing and "Anna Karenina" - Best Costume Design. "Skyfall" won the expected award for Best Original Song (wonderfully performed live by Adele) and one for Sound Editing through a very rare case of a voting tie with "Zero Dark Thirty". Pixar's Brave also won Best Animated Feature, despite having some stiff competition for the first time in years.

As you can see, most of the major films of the year received due honors from the Academy, minus "Beasts of the Southern Wild", "The Master", "Flight" and "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", all of which received none, despite having several nominations, which in itself is still great honor.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Tonight, the best of the best will receive their due honors at the Oscars, but this morning, it was a time of due disgrace as last year's worst cinematic achievements were highlighted by the infamous Golden Raspberry Awards. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" won 7 Razzie awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Kristen Stewart), Worst Supporting Actor (Taylor Lautner) and Worst Director (Bill Condon). The other non-Twilight awards were give to Adam Sandler for Worst Actor ("That's My Boy"), Rihanna for Worst Supporting Actress ("Battleship") and Worst Screenplay ("That's My Boy").

In a surprising twist at the box-office, the comedy "Identity Thief" starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy climbed back to the top spot during a relatively thin weekend, narrowly surpassing the new action drama "Snitch" starring Dwayne Johnson. Competition was indeed weak, the only other wide release this weekend being the sci-fi thriller "Dark Skies", starring Keri Russell, which only managed a weak 6th place opening. Last week's "Safe Haven" and "A Good Day to Die Hard" also took heavy dives at the box-office, although "Escape from Planet Earth" managed to climb up one spot.

One official image and one set picture from "The Wolverine" featuring Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. The movie is directed by James Mangold ("3:10 to Yuma", "Walk the Line") and will be released on July 26, 2013 (in 3D).

The first behind-the-scenes image from the set of "Grudge Match" starring Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone as two aging boxers who come of retirement for one last fight. Directed by Kevin Hart ("The 40 Year Old Virgin"). The movie will be released on November 15, 2013.

A new image of Vin Diesel in "Riddick". The sequel, directed by David Twohy, opens on September 6, 2013.

This year's Independent Spirit Awards announced its winners. There was not a lot of room for surprises as Oscar contender "Silver Linings Playbook" won four awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (David O. Russell), Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence) and Best Screenplay (also Russell). John Hawkes won for Best Actor for his often overlooked work in "The Sessions" and supporting role nods went to Matthew McConaughey for "Magic Mike" and Helen Hunt for "The Sessions". "Amour" took home the award for Best International Feature and "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" was named Best First Feature.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Two new teaser posters for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" have been released. The posters feature Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark on their Victory Tour after winning the Hunger Games in the first movie. The sequel is directed by Francis Lawrence ("Constantine", "Water for Elephants") and also stars Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright and Amanda Plummer. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" will be released on November 22, 2013 (also in IMAX).

Find out more about the story and visual effects in three new featurettes for Bryan Singer's "Jack the Giany Slayer". The fairy tale reimagining stars Nicholas Hoult, Ewan McGregor, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and Stanley Tucci. "Jack the Giant Slayer" opens on March 1st, in 3D.

Three new movie clips have been released for the epic Disney movie "Oz the Great and Powerful". The clips show off the colourful visual effects and art direction of this prequel to "The Wizard of Oz" and I'm sure the movie will be a dazzling spectacle. I'm just not very sure it was entirely necessary. Directed by Sam Raimi, the movie stars James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz. "Oz the Great and Powerful" opens on March 8, in 3D.

A new trailer for "The Call" starring Halle Berry and Abigail Breslin has been released online. The plot is presented a bit better in this one and it's a lot more atmospheric and tense. Let's hope the movie can live up to the trailer. Directed by Brad Anderson ("The Machinist"), the movie will be released on March 15.

Megan Fox and Michael Bay seem to have resolved their past conflicts and will reunite for the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" reboot that Bay is producing. Fox will be playing April O'Neill, the "intrepid reporter and good-natured friend to reptiles". The movie will be directed by Jonathan Liebesman ("Battle Los Angeles") and is conceived as a mix of live-action and CG motion capture. Also, the title will no longer contain the words "teenage" and "mutant", so the movie is simply called "Ninja Turtles". Bay also generated quite an upset last year when it was announced that aliens will be involved in the creation of the turtles. According to IMDb, this is the synopsis:

"Aliens invade Earth and inadvertently spawn a quartet of mutated reptile warriors, the Ninja Turtles, who rise up against them to defend the world."

This is definitely not the Ninja Turtles I remember. The release date has also been changed to May 16, 2014 due to script delays.

Friday, February 22, 2013

SNITCH

Official Synopsis

Action superstar Dwayne Johnson headlines this fast-paced thriller as a father whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a crime and is sentenced to 10 years in jail. In order to clear his son’s name, he dangerously goes undercover and risks everything, including his own life, to reduce his son’s sentence. The ensemble cast includes Academy Awards Winner Susan Sarandon, Emmy Nominee Benjamin Bratt, and Golden Globe Nominee Barry Pepper. Inspired by a true story, the screenplay was written by Justin Haythe (THE LONE RANGER, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, THE CLEARING) and adapted by the film’s director Ric Roman Waugh.

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DARK SKIES

Official Synopsis

From the producers of Paranormal Activity, Insidious, and Sinister comes Dark Skies: a supernatural thriller that follows a young family living in the suburbs. As husband and wife Daniel (Josh Hamilton) and Lacey Barret (Keri Russell) witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their family, their safe and peaceful home quickly unravels. When it becomes clear that the Barret family is being targeted by an unimaginably terrifying and deadly force, Daniel and Lacey take matters in their own hands to solve the mystery of what is after their family.

We finally get our first look at Ben Kingsley as Mandarin in a new character poster for "Iron Man 3". The super-villain is featured in a quirky pose that will likely have fans a little confused. Still, Kingsley is menacing enough to make for a tough arch-nemesis. Previous posters featured Robert Downey Jr. in a damaged Iron Man suit, Don Cheadle as the Iron Patriot and Guy Pearce as geneticist Aldrich Killian. The third installment is directed by Shane Black ("Lethal Weapon", "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang") and also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Rebecca Hall and James Badge Dale. "Iron Man 3" will be released on May 3, 2013, in 3D.

A new featurette for Niels Arden Oplev's noirish revenge thriller "Dead Man Down" is online. The clip showcases Noomi Rapace's acting skills in the film and gives us a little insight into her character's story. "Dead Man Down" also stars Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace and Terrence Howard and is set to open on March 8, 2013.

Two new featurettes for Terrence Malick's profound romantic drama "To The Wonder" have been released online and they provide insight into Malick's unique filmmaking skills through cast and crew interviews. The film is an exploration of relationships in the typical lyrical style that Terrence Malick is renowned for. "To the Wonder" stars Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem. The film opens on April 12, 2013.

The first trailer for Mira Nair's ("Monsoon Wedding") new film "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" has been released. The film, based on Mohsin Hamid's novel of the same name, is a tense thriller dealing with post-9/11 issues of alienation and suspicion. The film stars Riz Ahmed, Liev Schreiber, Liev Schreiber, Kate Hudson and Kiefer Sutherland. Release date is April 26, 2013.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

A new clip for "Stoker" has been released. The scene highlights the film's brilliant cinematography and subtle tension and promises great things for this twisted drama. Directed by Park Chan-woo ("Oldboy"), the film stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney and Jackie Weaver. "Stoker" will be released on March 1st.

Fresh off the success of "Silver Linings Playbook", director David O. Russell is planning to direct two more films which will star Playbook leading actress Jennifer Lawrence. The first is a true story drama based on a 1980s real-life undercover sting operation called "Abscam" organized by a con artist working for the FBI. The sting operation led to the arrest and conviction of a United States senator, five members of the House of Representatives, one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The movie will also star Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams and Louis C.K. and will open in 2014.

The third collaboration between Russell and Lawrence is a Weinstein Company romantic drama called "The Ends of the Earth", based on the controversial love affair between Ernest and Lydie Marland, an oil baron who eventually became Governor of Oklahoma and his adopted daughter. The film's script is written by Chris Terrio, who is currently enjoying a solid awards run with his screenplay for "Argo".

More information has been released about the sequel to 2011's surprising reboot "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". Titled "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", the new installment in a potential trilogy, will take place 15 years after the events in "Rise..." and will focus on Caesar's struggle to lead his brethren and the survival efforts of a group of human scientists in San Francisco. The first actor to be cast in the sequel is Jason Clarke ("Zero Dark Thirty", "Lawless"), but his role has not been specified. James Franco will not reprise his role. The first movie's director Rupert Wyatt also exited the production and was replaced by Matt Reeves ("Cloverfield", "Let Me In"). The script has been written by Mark Bomback ("Live Free or Die Hard", "Unstoppable"). Production is expected to start this spring and the release date has been set for May 23, 2014, in 3D.

First of all, for those unaware of Orson Scott Card's novel that the movie is based on, "Ender's Game" is the story of Andrew "Ender" Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a young boy who undergoes training at the International Military School in preparation for war with an alien race that threatens humanity. His skills help him advance quickly through the training and Ender finds himself on his way to becoming Earth's greatest hope. More on the story in the official synopsis after the jump. The new material released these past few days include a new image of Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Petra Arkanian, the only girl in the Salamander Army who befriends Ender, and four Battle School logos. "Ender's Game" also stars Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis and Abigail Breslin and will be released on November 1, 2013. The movie is directed by Gavin Hood ("Tsotsi", "X-Men Origins: Wolverine").

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

A set of three new clips for the thriller "Dead Man Down" has been released today. The movie is directed by Niels Arden Oplev, who also directed the original swedish "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and the other two movies in Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy, and stars Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace and Terrence Howard. "Dead Man Down" opens on March 8, 2013.

Pixar has released a collection of 8 new character posters for "Monsters University". The design is simple, but they get the job done. The movie is a prequel for "Monsters Inc." and features the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren, Steve Buscemi, David Spade and Kelsey Grammer. "Monsters University" will be released on June 21st, in 3D.

New clips for the animated adventure "The Croods" have been released online. The movie, from the creators of "Madagascar" and "How to Train Your Dragon", features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and Catherine Keener. "The Croods" will be released on March 22, 2013. And yes, in 3D.

The first clip from the psychological drama "Stoker" has appeared online. The movie is directed by Park Chan-woo ("Oldboy") and stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney and Jackie Weaver. "Stoker" will be released on March 1st.

Christian Bale is set to star in the true story adventure movie "Everest", which is based on a catastrophic mountain expedition which took place in 1996 and resulted in the death of eight climbers. The movie is directed by Baltasar Kormakur ("Contraband") and Bale will play the lead role of Rob Hall, the leader of a New Zealander group who ran Adventure Consultants. Kormakur has stated in an interview that this will be "a very, very big movie with a medium budget." Indeed the movie has a budget of $20 million, but Kormakur has never been a big budget director and his movies usually look great. Production begins this summer and filming will take place in Iceland.